18 March, 1905. Penny Illustrated
Our readers have most probably read many of the vivid despatches which have already reached this country describing the great battle of Mukden, by which the whole of the Russian army in Manchuria has been practically annihilated.
Remnants of General Kuropatkin's shattered forces are now fleeing in various directions, but the Japanese are in hot pursuit, and fresh captures are almost hourly reported.
The Japanese practically created a gigantic cordon around Mukden, corralling a tremendous force.
Below will be found a collection of short paragraphs culled from many despatches, which throw a vivid light on the tremendous nature of the last week's fighting.
A Japanese postcard of the Battle of Mukden from 1904.
General Kuropatkin sent two telegrams to the Tsar.
The first said: "I am compelled to abandon Mukden, buy am making a way out."
The second was brief and tragic: "I am surrounded."
General Kuropatkin says the Petit Parisien correspondent has asked to be relieved of his command, declaring that he is exhausted.
The wrangling of the officers added to the confusion, each seeking to exculpate himself.
The causes of the Russian defeat are manifold, but the principal cause was the Russian ignorance of the Japanese positions and numbers, the latter vastly exceeding the Russian calculations.
The slaughter has been infinitely greater than in any battle in the past, though the actual results achieved are perhaps smaller than those accomplished by the German army at Metz and Sedan in 1870.
The crossing of the river by the Japanese was accomplished just in the nick of time, as the ice was softeninig rapidly, and pontoons were used for conveying the guns across the river.
The disaster surprises in horror at that could be imagines," telegraphs the Petit Journal's correspondent at St. Petersburg. "A telegram which cannot be published shows the miserable Russian soldiers seized with madness and loading and firing on one another. Others charged trees, bayonet in hand, taking them for Japanese. Many lie prostrate on the ground and weep and make the sign of the Cross."
It is feared that the Third Army, which is fighting desperately in the mountains, will be overtaken by a disaster which will lead to the total annihilation of the Russian forces in Manchuria.
At dusk, near Santaitze, a force of Japanese cavalry swooped down out of the darkness and flung the diabolical hand-grenades which General Kuropatkin introduced to modern war at Port Arthur among the Russian musics. The detonation of these fearful milliles, the ghastly injuries which they inflicted, killing men by the score and blowing them to fragments of flesh, caused a panic, but still more terrible to the decimated troops was the fact which this attacked showed -- that the Japanese were to the north of the Russian army and between it and safety.
One fact, almost unprecedented in warfare, is that a vast amount of bullion was secured, and this in itself indicates that the confusion was so great that the enemy are now alone animated by considerations of personal safety.
The plains and hillsides are glowing with the light of thousands of camp fires, and great clouds of dust, raised by reirly -- million men and animals marching all day, overhand the country.
It is confidently expected that the total losses of the Russian will eventually amount to 300,000, including 100,000 prisoners.
It is estimated that the total number of troops on both sides engaged in the battle was 850,000, as compared with 460,000 at Liaoyang, and 580,000 at the battle of the Sha-ho.
Over 500 guns have been captured, in addition to large supplice of ammunition.
Originally published by Valentia Steer on 23 April 1910 under the title of "The Inner Meaning of the Anti-Foreign Riots in China" in The Penny Illustrated
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